Deck for cooling towers



Dec. 31, 1929. J. P. BARRY DECK FOR COOLING TOWERS JUN Filed July 18. v19128 INVENOR. Ovt-hg is.

.'mwfvm/ A TTORNEY' Patented 3l, 1929 NETE@ STATES PATENT @FFME JAMES I. BARRY, 0F PIEDMGNT, CALFORNXA, ASSLGNOR TO TEE LETTLE REVER RED- VOO'D CO., GF SAN FRANCSCO, CALFORNA, A COBPORATGN OF DELA'WARE DECK FOR COOLING TOWERS Application filed July 18,

The present invention relates to the construction of horizontal battles or decks for atmospheric water-cooling towers.

Such towers, which are well known, are constructed ef a plurality of spaced superposed perforate horizontal decks, supported by a suitable frame. The water to be cooled is led through pipes to the uppermost deck, from which it trickles down from deck to deck, passing through the interstices of each and falling to the next deck below. The tower is open at the sides, to allow free circulation of air and is customarily provided with louvres to break the force of the wind and to prevent loss of water by being blown away. Such construction is so well known and standardized in the art that I have not deemed it necessary to illustrate a complete tower, it being understood that my invention may be embodied in any standard cooling tower as described above.

@ne of the objects of my invention is to provide a deck which lends itself readily to wooden construction. Cooling towers are commonly made, wholly or in part, of wood, and although my invention may be embodied in a deck of metal construction, it is especially suitable for wood, and is so illustrated and described herein.

Another object is to provide a deck of knock-down form, which can be made at the mill and erected without further fitting and which can be taken apart without damage. his feature is of great value, because it enables a tower to be taken apart and moved, or added to, wA lout destroying or injuring its wooden parts. l accomplish this result by eliminating the use of nails in my deck construction, the various parts being interlocked and held together by comparatively few bolts in a manner to be described hereinafter.

A third object of the invention is to provide for variation in the size and position of the interstices of the deck, through which the water trickles to the neXt deck below. This permits the user to increase or decrease the capacity of his tower, under suitable conditions, by taking the decks apart and changing the spacing between the indivi(I ual members or slats.

lt also permits thc manufac- 1928. Serial No. 293,601.

turer to standardize upon one size for each part of the deck, the erector adjusting the interstices between slats to suit the particular conditions involved.

All the above mentioned advantages of my invention result in saving time and labor, bothin manufacturing and in erecting and dismantling, thereby resulting in lower cost. Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description of a preferred form of my invention, which should be read with the understanding that the form, construction, and arrangement of the several parts of the device may be varied, wit-hin the limits of the claims hereto appended, without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth therein.

Reference' should be had to the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. l is a partly broken plan of a portion of a deck constructed according to my invention'.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2*-2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail on the 'line 3-3 0f 1.

Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively a plan and an end elevation, enlarged, of the end portion of one of the deck members or slats.

In the drawings, the reference numerals 4- designatev the transverse frame members or stringers of the tower, upon which the deck rests. 5 are the deck members or slats, whose ends rest upon the frame members 4. The slats 5 are all alike, and are reversible, being provided with raised longitudinal rims 6 formed bymilling a wide central trough or groove 7. In operation, these troughs hold shallow bodies of water, which', minimize splash from the drip from the next higher deck. The water from said troughs overflows the rims 6, runs down through the interstices or spaces 8 between adjacent slats, and drips or trickles from their lower edges. By forming the rims 6 and troughs 7 on both faces .of the slats, I not only make them reversible, but also provide a better formation for the under surface, the water dripping both from the outer corner 9 and running in and .dripping also from the inner corner lO of the rim 6, as indicated in Fig. 5. Thus I loe regular positioning of the drip, with conse,- qnently greater cooling effect. It also permits making both ends ot the slats alike, thus reducing the cost of manufacture and erection.

t will be seen that the width of the sinners 8 can be made equal to the wicth et any odd number of tenons. Thus it the tenons are halt an inch wide, the spaces 8 may be halt an inch (as shown), or one and one-halt inches, or two and onehalf, and so on, and this can be done, when the tower is set up, merely by placing the slats accordingly. rIhe length and width of the slats are immaterial, but in practise I find it desirable to make them four feet long by three and one-halt inches wide, with half inch tenons. This permits the length of the deck to be any multiple of four feet.

The stringere or :trame members i are positioned four feet apart. center to center, so that the joints between the slats lie upon them, as shown in Fig. 1. A cleat 13 is then laid across over the joints, and held down by bolts 14, thus clamping the slats securely. At the ends of the deck stop strips 15 may be placed between the cleats 13 and stringers l, against which the ends of the slats abut. Vith this construct-ion there is no necessity for separately fastening each slatto the stringers, the cleats 13 and stops 15, with the tenons 11. holding` the entire deck solid. It it is desired to dismantle the tower or to change the sparing of the slats, it is only necessary to remove the comparatively Jfew bolts 14, whereupon the slats can be taken up without injury.

I claim 1. A cooling tower deck comnrising a plurality of independently reversible slats spaced laterally and abutting endwise, and interfitting tenons identically positioned upon the abutting ends of said slats.

2. A cooling tower deck comprising` a pluralitv of slats spaced laterally and abutting endwise; interfitting tenons formed upon the abutting ends of said slats; stringere upon which said interlitting ends rest; cleats resting upon said ends; and means for clamping said cleats and said stringers together with the ends ot said slats between them.

3. A cooling tower deck comprising` a plnrality oi' reversible slats 'formed with identi caliy positioned end tenons adapting them for spaced interiitting relation; supporting` memrality of reversible slats formed upon each r face with a longitudinal trough bounded by raised lateral rims; intertitting tenons `formed upon the ends of said slats; supporting means; and means tor removably securing said slats thereto.

In testimony whereoiE I have signed my name to this specification.

JAMES P. BARR-Y.v 

